For those who open feed using a 55gal drum or similar
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For want of a better word
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Howdee Doodee Adamant...
.......... not many. if any UK beeks " open feed".. well intentionally!
It rains too much.. feed would get diluted... but I ( well SWMBO actually) did leave a plastic drum open that I had been using to wash solidified fondant out of apideas .... bees had one hell of a lot of fun and we could not get into the kitchen all day!
Tendancy is to use a closed system such as Ashforth /Millar feeders, rapid or even contact feeders on each colony.
The feeders that fit into the entrance are not favoured as may induce robbing!
How many colonies do you get to feed with a 50 gallon drum?
NOW THIS COULD BE AN INTERESTING THREAD... but out 2 most controversial postees are spending time out on the naughty step..... !
.......... not many. if any UK beeks " open feed".. well intentionally!
It rains too much.. feed would get diluted... but I ( well SWMBO actually) did leave a plastic drum open that I had been using to wash solidified fondant out of apideas .... bees had one hell of a lot of fun and we could not get into the kitchen all day!
Tendancy is to use a closed system such as Ashforth /Millar feeders, rapid or even contact feeders on each colony.
The feeders that fit into the entrance are not favoured as may induce robbing!
How many colonies do you get to feed with a 50 gallon drum?
NOW THIS COULD BE AN INTERESTING THREAD... but out 2 most controversial postees are spending time out on the naughty step..... !
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Most beeks in this country are too concerned with spread of disease and triggering robbing to attempt open feeding, although I have heard of a few who do it
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that must be the best way invented to spread disease among bees.
Hombre
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From the picture shown, I would suggest putting a drop of syrup in, after taking a lot of the straw out. The idea of the straw is to stop the bees drowning, not to hide it.
Put the drum upright and put a cover over it if it is at all likely to rain. Lengths of wood for the bees to climb out again would be helpful.
It's becoming too cold now in all probability and is at best a desperate measure.
If you have any empty supers, get yourself a washing bowl, with some straw in and sit it on the top bars. Bowl costs about £1.50, mass access to the bowl and it's private to the occupants of the hive, so no disease or robbing problems. It's certainly cheaper than an Ashforth and faster to produce, as long as you have empty supers to house them on top of your brood boxes.
Not my idea, just an observation!
Cheaper if you can find them at the pound shop instead of Morrisons (they are probably about sold out by now)
Use the 55 gallon drum for mixing your syrup if you haven't got Apivert or Ambrosia etc.
Put the drum upright and put a cover over it if it is at all likely to rain. Lengths of wood for the bees to climb out again would be helpful.
It's becoming too cold now in all probability and is at best a desperate measure.
If you have any empty supers, get yourself a washing bowl, with some straw in and sit it on the top bars. Bowl costs about £1.50, mass access to the bowl and it's private to the occupants of the hive, so no disease or robbing problems. It's certainly cheaper than an Ashforth and faster to produce, as long as you have empty supers to house them on top of your brood boxes.
Not my idea, just an observation!
Cheaper if you can find them at the pound shop instead of Morrisons (they are probably about sold out by now)
Use the 55 gallon drum for mixing your syrup if you haven't got Apivert or Ambrosia etc.
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itma
Queen Bee
I don't. (Reasons as above)
Is open feeding common with small and large-scale beekeepers in New Jersey?
drstitson
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and our cousins over the pond wonder why they have CCD!!!
open feeding is bad husbandry. full stop.
open feeding is bad husbandry. full stop.
BeeJayBee
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Open feeding - we're told that it's bad practice and it isn't something I've done, but I've seen videos of large scale open feeding in other parts of the beekeeping world.
Are there any statistics, or is there any data, to show that it's more likely for disease to be spread by bees clustering around a clean, freshly prepared and short-lived, food source than if, say, all nearby colonies gather nectar from one large lump of flowering ivy, or collect water from the same pond or bird bath throughout the year?
Are there any statistics, or is there any data, to show that it's more likely for disease to be spread by bees clustering around a clean, freshly prepared and short-lived, food source than if, say, all nearby colonies gather nectar from one large lump of flowering ivy, or collect water from the same pond or bird bath throughout the year?
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steve1958
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I did a bit 2 years ago. Plastic barrels with straw and sticks. It works. No robbing - why would they want to rob a well defended hive when there's loads of undefended stuff available? It just didn't happen in any of the 3 apiaries I tried it.
As for disease transfer. Perhaps a small increased risk but not a major concern. Think about the different bacteria, viruses and parasites individually and think about real-life transfer mechanisms. Foulbrood bacteria for example - you would only find bacteria on the foraging population if you had some rampant easily visible cases, in which case you will certainly not be open feeding.
But there are downsides - wastage and uneven distribution. The bees do also get a bit ragged. It's also unfair if you have other beekeepers nearby who might believe their bees are on a nectar flow and get their supers back on. Also no good if you want to add a measured dose of any feed supplement. So it's emergency use only for me.
As for disease transfer. Perhaps a small increased risk but not a major concern. Think about the different bacteria, viruses and parasites individually and think about real-life transfer mechanisms. Foulbrood bacteria for example - you would only find bacteria on the foraging population if you had some rampant easily visible cases, in which case you will certainly not be open feeding.
But there are downsides - wastage and uneven distribution. The bees do also get a bit ragged. It's also unfair if you have other beekeepers nearby who might believe their bees are on a nectar flow and get their supers back on. Also no good if you want to add a measured dose of any feed supplement. So it's emergency use only for me.
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Running out of feeders and/or time. That's about all really.
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Also tried it.
Large secluded wintering site, tried as stimulative spring feeding. Agree with Chris regarding the disease risk - the colonies were being closely monitored during the experiment; foragers are unlikely to transport the nasty pathogens, it'll be robbing of collaps[ing/ed] diseased colonies and the actions of the beekeeper that spreads them.
Conclusion was that the downsides heavily outweigh the upsides.
Strong colonies packed themselves out with excessive feed, with the usual attendant problems; weak colonies that needed feed didn't have the foraging force to gather sufficient. Direct feeding of those small colonies (and minimal/no feeding of those who did not need it) would have been far more successful/appropriate.
Later that year that site was plagued by wasps like never before. We concluded that we had boosted the local emergent wasp nests at a crucial point in the year for nest survival.
Large secluded wintering site, tried as stimulative spring feeding. Agree with Chris regarding the disease risk - the colonies were being closely monitored during the experiment; foragers are unlikely to transport the nasty pathogens, it'll be robbing of collaps[ing/ed] diseased colonies and the actions of the beekeeper that spreads them.
Conclusion was that the downsides heavily outweigh the upsides.
Strong colonies packed themselves out with excessive feed, with the usual attendant problems; weak colonies that needed feed didn't have the foraging force to gather sufficient. Direct feeding of those small colonies (and minimal/no feeding of those who did not need it) would have been far more successful/appropriate.
Later that year that site was plagued by wasps like never before. We concluded that we had boosted the local emergent wasp nests at a crucial point in the year for nest survival.
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